How does the lokal-o-mat works?
The lokal-o-mat works similar to the Wahl-O-Mat, but is an informational tool for local government elections. Like in the Wahl-O-Mat, the lokal-o-mat user can mark his position on 30 thesis and then compare his positions to those of the competing parties and voters’ associations.
In 2014 the lokal-o-mat was launched with two pilot projects in Ahlen/Westfalen and Düsseldorf. Since then, additional versions have been initiated.
Preparations for upcoming elections
The local-o-mat is currently being revised and prepared for new applications. Further information will follow here at a later date. Until then, you can view the results of previous projects below.
Presentation of results (in German)
Municipal council Kiel
Municipal council Neumünster
City council assembly Wiesbaden
City council Ahlen/Westfalen
City council Düsseldorf
What data were collected and how?
Similar to the Wahl-O-Mat research, the lokal-o-mat includes an exit survey with the following questions amongst others:
- What is known about the user (Age, gender, level of education, political interest)?
- How did the users find out about the lokal-o-mat?
- What are the reasons for using the lokal-o-mat?
- Do the lokal-o-mat results match the users’ party preferences?
- Which effect does the use of the lokal-o-mat have?
When leaving the lokal-o-mat site, a pop-up window invited the users to participate in an on-site survey. Not each single user was asked, but only a random sample (every fourth, sixth, tenth).